Company Work
by Besarien
Summary: An anti-heroic story about how Sylar serves his own agendas even while employed by the Company. Slash Sylar/Mohinder also with cameos by Noah, Angela, and Maya. I return reviews!


Hi! It's Mylar! All reviews are sincerely appreciated. I try to return them in a timely fashion too!

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Company Work

Sylar had grown to enjoy his cell. He was starting to think of it as his outermost layer of imaginary dark clothing. Sure, there were occasional intrusions, like Peter showing up unexpectedly to break his neck. Sometimes Angela waltzed in to molest him with her motherly concern and sweet manipulative nothings. Whether or not they really were his long lost family, the Petrelli's were well-cast for that part.

On the other hand, his main source of entertainment, Noah Bennet, tended to hover just outside the cell exactly as he was doing right now. Maybe he liked the idea of making Sylar come to him? Maybe he'd seen too much of the insides of these cells recently?

Sylar ignored him for as long as it was great fun to do so, then opened the door that they never locked (what good would it do?) with his mind (because it creeped out Noah) and joined him in the hallway. Noah thrust a suit of clothes and a pair of black Italian hand-made leather shoes at him. "Dress." He thought it was hilarious that his suit and shoes were always finer than Noah's own.

They met Angela in her new office, which was Bob's old office. There was no trace left of Bob except for his power that now flowed in Sylar. The walls were painted a dark rose pink now. The floor was covered in a Persian carpet exactly fitting the space. Even the new desk was more Angela- solid hardwood, oak, yet somehow feminine in its curves and details, and was a genuine antique. Now that he thought about it- that desk was Angela. At least in her office, unlike in his cell, Angela could get straight to a point. "I need you both to collect Doctor Suresh immediately and bring him here for study."

"So you're sending both of us? On Company time? Why not just invite Doctor Suresh over for some tea and those little cookies you like?" It wasn't that Sylar didn't want to go out in the world to collect Mohinder. He simply had to argue. It would never do for him to fake being tamed too soon, or to appear too eager to see that particular doctor again. He tried to seem bored instead, and picked up a fountain pen transmuting it, thanks to Bob, into twenty-four karat. Noah snatched the pen away from him and set in exactly the same spot on Angela's desk. Sylar thought that was amusing too.

"If our information is correct, Doctor Suresh has been experimenting on himself. He is no longer even close to human, not in appearance and not in his heightened abilities. Do not underestimate him. I believe that he has rewritten his genetic code through these unethical experiments."

"And the Company now polices ethics in science?" Sylar turned quickly, catching the merest hint of a grin before Noah's face returned to a bland mask.

"You have your assignment, Gabriel. Bring in Doctor Suresh for study. I want him breathing and in one piece."

* * *

Sylar liked that Noah always drove. It gave him opportunity to get that much farther under the man's skin. "Hey, what does this little joystick on the door do?"

"It vaporizes the person sitting in the passenger seat."

Sylar toggled it toward him with his mind. His seat reclined. Best of all the mechanism made a really annoying 'Grrrrut' sound.

'Grrrut- grrut- grrrut- grut- grut grut grut grut grrrrrrrrr- "So, lemme guess. You're gonna go in alone and deal with Mohinder, while I get to sit in the car? Am I right?" '-rrrrut grut grut grut.'

"What's the matter, 'Ga-briel?' Don't tell me you can't bear to face the boyfriend whose father you brutally murdered? Maybe you're worried about confronting the monster he's become?"

'Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrut.' Then a long moment of what Sylar hoped was a telling silence- "Why should I care? I'll go in with you- if that's what you want me to do."

"I've got a better idea. Maybe you should handle this one alone? Maybe I should take a nap in the car this time?" Out of the corner of his eye, Sylar saw that nasty little smirk that broadcast to the world that Noah thought he'd won something. Sylar knew that Noah was too much of a professional to sit in the car for very long- but knew now that he'd sit in the car for just long enough to serve Sylar's purposes.

* * *

When Sylar arrived at Mohinder's lab he entered silently. He erected a barrier of telekinesis completely blocking the building to keep Noah at bay. With luck it would take a good long while for him to get the Haitian on site.

Mohinder was no Gabriel Gray, nor even what Sylar would have called neat. His workspace was always organized by creative chaos. He left his clothes were they fell until he decided to wash them (or worse, wear them again)- but this! For one thing, it smelled like rotting corpses in here. Another weird thing, the windows were blacked out. Mohinder always had liked light, even direct sunlight streaming through bedroom windows first thing in the morning after a night of late entertainments. Sylar heard a strange rustling sound. He followed the source gliding just above the floor.

Mohinder, well, at this point he was just assuming that was Mohinder, was oddly hunched over rummaging through papers. He was also wearing an old blanket pulled around him and covering his head like a hood and was throughly distracted searching for something.

It had to be here. It had to be here! He just saw it; didn't he? The results of- when was that test? Yesterday? The day before?

"Hello, Mohinder."

Mohinder whirled around knocking notes everywhere. Instinctively he shrunk away from the voice, from the man. He pulled the blanket down to cover his face and tried to hide in the shadows.

Sylar glided forward then hunkered down so he was more or less at eye level and about a foot away. "Mohinder? Are you all right?"

Why was he cowering like a scared human being? He wasn't that- not anymore. He wouldn't allow Sylar hurt him again. He wouldn't feel embarrassed or ashamed or anything but powerful when Sylar cowered away from him, once Sylar saw evidence of the monster that he'd become.

Sylar's hands pulled back the hood gently. His fingers stroked over the carapace that had recently formed on Mohinder's cheeks. There was no fear, no disgust, and not the slightest bit of hestitation. Sylar leaned forward and kissed Mohinder's lips. It was just a simple, warm "hello" kiss; but the acceptance implied in that act broke Mohinder completely.

"How can you-? The way I look-"

"What makes you think I could care less what you wear? Personally, I prefer the exoskeleton over the patchouli or those ugly-ass scarves of yours."

"You're not the least bit disgusted by what I've become. Are you?"

"Disgusted? I'm proud of you."

"Proud? Why? You don't know what I've done!"

"I noticed the very creative artwork decorating the walls." Sylar was hoping for a chuckle.

Mohinder just looked even more defeated.

"Do you want to know why I'm proud of you? You didn't have powers. You wanted them. Instead of sitting around whining, you did something about it. You've proven yourself worthy, Mohinder. They're not," Sylar said pointing up at the wall to where Maya was cocooned. "They're weak. The guy I took cryokinesis from asked me to do the favor of killing him. Well, maybe that was a joke. Anyway nothing you've done is worth getting upset over. Having powers will be worth it, all of it. You'll see."

"I don't have powers, Sylar!"

Yes! Rage, testosterone, pain, all radiating off Mohinder in waves. Now, that was hot! Then it was gone.

Mohinder sighed and sagged against the wall. "I think I'm turning into an insect. You must find that hilarious. Who's the cockroach now? Who's the parasite-?"

"Mohinder, listen to me. I can fix you. Would you like a fresh start?"

Sylar? Fix him? The man was a serial killer- and not even a trained geneticist! And he was wearing a suit too. Why a suit? Why did Sylar want to help him? Why would he bother? Why would he care even? "Why do you think that you can fix me?" He couldn't bear how hopeful his voice had sounded. That he was considering letting Sylar try- that was only a testament to how desperate he'd become.

"I can fix you because I know how. I need to give you a transfusion."

"Of what?" Did it really matter? What possible harm could one more insane experiment do?

"My blood, Mohinder. It will fix you."

Mohinder sighed. "Sylar, I really don't think-"

"I gained Claire's power. No, I didn't kill her. Turns out, she's my niece by the way. Well, she might be."

"What?"

"Doesn't matter. Look, do you have transfusion equipment here?"

What Mohinder had left was a single unused syringe. Sylar found a strong looking vein in his right forearm and used his telekinesis to guide the needle. When the syringe was full, it floated over and injected the blood into Mohinder's arm.

Mohinder knew immediately the blood was having some effect. Suddenly he felt the carapace on his back and cheeks drop away from his skin. Then Mohinder felt his body being crushed down onto the cot. He tried to struggle against the force to no avail. "What have you done to me?"

"Done? I'm just getting started, Mohinder. This is going to hurt. Try to relax. It will be over soon. That didn't come out right. I meant this won't take long."

The syringe drifted back to Sylar's vein like a giant mosquito. At the same time, Sylar pointed and started cutting through Mohinder's skull careful as he had been with Claire to cut under the hair and not through it. He could deal with Mohinder as a bug. Mohinder with bad hair was too terrible to contemplate.

The needle drifted back to Mohinder's arm. Sylar set the top of Mohinder's skull aside and touched Mohinder's brain with his fingers.

"Please tell me that you are not touching my brain? You didn't even wash your hands first!"

He must be feeling better, Sylar thought. "Infection's not really an issue now." No more transfusions would be necessary either. The empty syringe left Mohinder's arm and dropped to the floor.

"Infection is always an issue!"

"Not anymore. I just gave you Claire's power. I left you with the sensation of pain though. As I recall, you rather enjoy that in small doses. Shall we proceed to stage three?" Sylar stepped close to the Maya cocoon. Without enhanced hearing he couldn't quite tell if she were still breathing or not. He didn't suppose it mattered at this point. He sliced the top of her skull loose smiling at the fact that she happened to be cocooned at precisely the perfect height. This tiny coincidence made the whole event feel like destiny, like completing a full circle.

"What's the story with the other two? Any powers?"

"No."

He cut the cocoon down the middle with telekenisis and pulled her body to the floor. Once he had delved her brain for its secrets, he returned to finish working on Mohinder. "Having Claire's ability is nice; but it's good to be able to defend yourself too. Maya never honed her power. At best, she used it like an on and off switch- no subtlety, no creativity, no focus. I have every faith that you'll be able to do much better once you've practiced a while. I know that I will. We'll both be immune to this sort of attack too. So I guess it's good that you have Claire's power now, just in case you ever royally piss me off again. There! You're all set."

"Am I- human?"

"Completely human but somewhat changed for the better. All this will remain our secret, Mohinder."

Sylar replaced the top of Mohinder's skull carefully and admired his handy work. The cutline across Mohinder's forehead healed leaving no trace one had ever existed there. He licked the blood drips from Mohinder's forehead, then sweetly kissed Mohinder's lips again before Sylar released him from the body bind.

Mohinder sat up and just stared off into space for a moment. Then he started to sob into his hands. Sylar sat next to him on the cot and wrapped Mohinder in his arms. They stayed that way for a time, Mohinder's nose running onto Sylar's shoulder.

"Sylar?"

"Hmm?"

"I forgive you."

"For which part?"

"All of it."

"I always suspected you would some day. Why now?"

"If I didn't, I'd be a hypocrite, instead of just another murderer. Can you stay for a while?"

"Sorry I can't. I could come back to visit if I'm welcome now? Of course we still need to clean up and let Bennet come in to have a look around."

"Bennet?"

"Kind of a long story. Oh, and by the way- about visiting- it might be a while. I'll have to convince someone that I'm tamed now."

"Who?"

"My real mother, or that's her story."

"Please don't explain. I don't think I can process any more revelations right now." So instead, Sylar kissed him again because Mohinder let him.

Sylar cleaned up quickly. He used his powers and inner neat freak to throughly destroy a crime scene and replace it with rooms fit for a slightly eccentric scientist. When everything was just so, Sylar dropped the barrier surrounding the building.

When Noah came crashing through the front door, gun drawn, he caught the target and his so-called partner sipping chai over a chess board.

"Don't worry about that door, Mohinder. I'm sure the Company will be happy to reimburse you out of Noah's next pay check."

"What's going on here, Sylar?"

"Well, I handled the situation all alone just like you wanted. Did you have a nice nap in the car? Turns out we had faulty intelligence. As you can see, no drastic appearance change. He could use a shave but I doubt that counts. Plus if chess is a measure of abilities, he's already two pawns down."

"But I have excellent positioning!"

Bennet glanced at the board. "No Suresh, you don't. Which won't matter since we're leaving just as soon as I take a look around. You don't have a problem with that? Do you Doctor?"

"No, of course not. Would you like some chai?"

"Oh come on, Bennet! This chess game is the most fun I've had for months!"

"Really? In that case, we're leaving now."

* * *

Sylar makes certain that he always enjoys the ride back to his cell even more than the ride out. Right now Sylar was enjoying himself by watching the muscles in Noah's jaw clench.

"Using a TK barrier against your own partner? How ever will you explain that to Mommy?"

"Why take everything so personally, Noah? Were you lonely? For future reference how would you like me to contain alleged science projects of unknown abilities?"

"What really happened back there with Suresh?"

Gabriel's mind wrapped around the little toggle on the car door. "I'll be happy to tell you all about it, right after you name this tune," 'Grut grut grut grut grut grut-grrrrrut-grrrrrut-'

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(No really! I did end a chapter with a 'grrrrrut'-! Thanks for reading. I don't know if this is chaptered or just a one shot. Tell me what you think. All comments - woohoo, they make my world!)


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